Apparatus for producing endless extended coil structures



July 23, 1940.

A. DURR Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 23, 1940. A. DORR 2.209,1l4

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ENDLESS EXTENDED COIL STRUCTURES Filed May 5, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o AWNQX NA w wggzf Patented July 23,

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ENDLESS EXTENDED COIL STRUCTURES Arnold Diirr, Berlin, Germany Application May 5, 1939, Serial No. 272,055

In'Germany May 11, 1938 7 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing endless extended coil structures from wire or tape. In the production of these structures it I has already been proposed to wind the wire or tape about a mandrel, the said wire or tape being withdrawn from a reel or drum performing a planetary motion.

The term extended coll structure as employed in the present descriptionis intended to designate a helical winding, the convolutions of which are disposed in certain spacial relation to one another, so that a so-called open winding is produced. These structures are employed for a variety of purposes. Thus, for example, short u lengths thereof can be used as coil springs. If made with a sufficient diameter and cut in a length of, say, 6 to 10 feet they can be used as indoor aerials. Open windings of. this nature are also employed in the construction of oil cables and serve to produce passages through which the oil is conducted to the insulating means.

In the production of extended coil structures it has already been proposed to allow the reel or drum bearing the-wire or tape to move with 26 planetary motion about a mandrel and to wind the wire or tape about the mandrel in such a way that the resulting convolutions possess the requisite spacial disposal with relation to one another.

For the production of coil structures of short length, such as coil springs or the like, either the mandrel about which the wire or tape is wound or the reel rotating about the mandrel has a longitudinal movement imparted thereto, which corresponds substantially to the length of the 35 structure to be produced.

In the production of endless coil structures, however, this method cannot be employed, and steps require to be taken to ensure that the structure beiifg produced is moved or conducted out to a tensile force in the longitudinal direction readily tends to be distended, whereby the spac 50 iii; between the single convolutions is caused to be larger than was intended.

' It has also been proposed to wrap the wire or tape in the helically disposed grooves of a rotatable and longitudinally secured spindle, so that 1. the resulting coll structure is conveyed by the helical spindle out of the machine. The mean diameter of the ,coil structure is equal to the mean diameter of the threaded spindle. This arrangement has the disadvantage that a'comparatively large amount of friction results between the ma- 5 terial from which the coil structure is being produced and the threaded spindle serving to convey the coil structure from the machine.

According to the invention these disadvantages are eliminated by the fact that the production and 1 the conveyance of the coil structure are performed by a member which performs a rolling motion in relation to the coil structure.

The rolling member possesses a helidal groove, which engages with the coil structure only at 15 one point which passes continuously along the structure. The pitch of the helical groove is equal to the pitch of the coil. The mean diameter of the coil structure, however, is smaller or greater than the mean diameter of the helical groove in the rolling member. In consequence of the movement of a rolling member of this kind there is obtained a steady advance of the coil structure with a minimum of friction, as the rolling member rolls on or in the coil, so that there is merelya rolling friction between the coil and the rolling member.

The rolling member can be designed in the form of a sleeve, which rotates about a fixed cylindrical mandrel and at the same time about its axis. On 30 the inner face of this sleeve there is provided the helical groove aforesaid, which engages withthe. coil structure in the manner referred to. The helical groove in the sleeve has the same pitch as the coil structure, although its diameter is larger. v

The/sleeve is mounted to be rotatable in the eccentric bore of a bush and rolls by means of internal teeth over the outer rim of teeth on a stationary mandrel. 40

The rolling member can also be disposed within the coil structure. It is then constructed in the form of a mandreljhaving ahelical groove, which as before possesses the same pitch as the coil is smaller than that of the coil.

The mandrel rolls within a sleeve, the inner diameter of which is equal to the outer diameter of the coil structure, in order to guide the coil structure upon the advance. The mandrel is 60 rotatable in the eccentric boring of a positively driven rotating sleeve. The rotation of the mandrel about is axis takes place by means of a gear wheel mounted on the mandrel, which gear wheel rolls over a fixed inner rim' of teeth.

' structure, but the diameter of the helical groove -a.nd

If it is desired to convey two superimposed coil structures, there is employed as rolling member within the coils the rotatable mandrel as described and as rollingmember outside of the.

coils the sleeve also as described.

The invention isillustrated by way of example I stituted by a sleeve surrounding the coil struc-' ture. 1 I

Fig. .2 is a longitudinal section through a second embodiment, in which the rolling member isrepresented by a mandrel disposed within the -coil structure.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line III-III in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IVin Fig. 2. In the' embodiment according to Fig. 1 there is shown a fixed mandrel I mounted in a liner.

This mandrel carries towards its rear end an externally disposed rim of teeth 2. 3 is an eccentric bush, which rotates in the direction of the the coil structure being produced, which is formed from the wire I. The sleeve 5-is furnished with inner teeth 8 adapted to ash with the externally disposed teeth 2 on mandrel these inner teeth rolling over the" faid, outer teeth and thus causing rotation of the sleeve 5-. By the rotation of the eccentric bush 3 the sleeve '5 carries out an eccentric movement with respect to the fixed mandrel I and atthe same time a rotary movement about its central axis, whereby arolling movement is produced.

It is shown by Fig. 1 that the mean diameter of the helical groove 6 in the advancing sleeve 5 is greater than' the mean diameter of the wire' ---coil structure I. On the other hand the pitch of the groove 6 is equal to'that" of the coil 1. Upon the rolling movement of the sleeve 5 along the coil I the helical groove .6 always contacts only with'a single point of the coil, which upon the movement progresses along the coil, so that the coil is conveyed out of the apparatus, i. e), as seen in Fig. 1 in the direction towards the right. shown by Fig. 1, the wire is fed from the source of supply to the mandrel I through an opening in the sleeve 5.

In the embodiment according to Figs. 2 to 4 there is shown a fixed sleeve 9. Within this sleeve there is provided a fixed cylindrical member III, which towards the frontv end possesses a cylindrical recess II, in which there is located an inner rim of teeth l2.

The front portion ofthe'bush 9 situated to- I wards the right in Fig. 2 is formed externally as a bearing for a rotatable sleeve l4 carrying an Within the front part of the bush ii there is rotatably mounted a bush I9 having an eccentric boring. eccentric bush carries at its one end the teeth 20 adapted to engage with a gear wheel 2| mounted on the shaft Ilia. Rotation of the shaft "Ba and the gear wheel 2| causes rotation of the eccentric bush I9. I

The rolling member constituted by the mandrel comprises three parts: the front part 22 with the helical groove 23, the middle portion 24, which is rotatable in the eccentric b'ush I3, and the rear portion 25, which is designed as a gear wheel and meshes with the fixed rim of teeth |2 on the part III. The front part 22 passes through a guide sleeve 26. As shown by Figs. 2 and 4 the bore of this sleeve has a diameter which is larger than that of the mandrel 22. The diameter of the bore of the sleeve 26 is equal to the outer diameter of the coil structure produced from the wire I, as shown in Fig. 2. On the front part of the fixed bush l3 there is mounted a sleeve 21 acting as winding mandrel. The rolling mandrel passes eccentrically through the sleeve 21. The bore of the sleeve 26, the wire coil structure and the sleeve 21 have a common longitudinal middle axis.

The operation of this embodiment of themvention is as follows:

The gear wheels I6 and 2| are set into operation. The gear wheel 2| rotates the eccentric bush l9, whereby a movement which is eccentric with respect to the bore of the sleeve 25 is imparted to the mandrel 22, 24, 25. Since the gear wheel 25 of the mandrel rolls over the rim of teeth |2 the mandrel is also caused to be rotated. The mandrel, therefore, as shown in Fig. 4, rolls in the direction of the arrow P The wire I runs off from the planetary reel l8 and through a guide 28 on to the sleeve 21. The mandrel portion 22 -rolls over the inner face of the coil structure being produced and by reason of the engagement between the helical groove 23 and the wire I conveys the coil structure towards the right in the direction of thearrow P Fig. 2 shows that in the case the mean diameter of the helical groove 23 in the mandrel 22 is smaller than the mean diameter of the coil structure 1, whereas the pitch of the two, however, is the same. The coil structure is advanced in the direction of the arrow P in the manner already described in conjunction with the first embodi- .from which the wire is withdrawn, a bush having an eccentric bore, a fixed cylindrical mandrel, a

sleeve performing a rolling movement aboutthe said mandrel and adapted to rotate within the said eccentricbore, a helical groove in the inner face of the said sleeve, an inner rim of teethin the said sleeve, and an outer rim of teeth on the said mandrel adapted to mesh with the teeth on the said sleeve.

2. In an apparatus for producing endless extending coil structures from wire or like material, means for continuously feeding awire, a

mandrel member about which the wire is arranged, a sleeve member arranged eccentrically about the mandrel with the wire thereon, one of -the members having -a helical groove, and means for rotating one of the members relatively to the other to produce a rolling movement and with respect to each other and relatively rotatable, one of the members having a helical groove therein, and means for rotating the rotatable member so that owing to eccentrical positioning of the members and the helical groove a rolling movement is effected to continuously move and coil the wire.

'4. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the sleeve member has an internal diameter equal to the outer diameter of the coil structure being produced in which the mandrel is provided with the helical groove and performs a rolling motion within said sleeve.

5. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the sleeve member is stationary and in which a positively rotated bush having eccentric boring is provided, the mandrel being located within said eccentric boring, a gear wheel on said mandrel, and inner teeth on the said bush meshing with said gear wheel to produce a rolling motion of said mandrel with respect to said sleeve member.

6. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in

' which the sleeve member is rotatably mounted about the mandrel and is provided on its inner surface with the helical groove which contacts the coiled wire only at one progressively moving point, the said groove and the said coil structure having different mean diameters but equal pitch 7. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the mandrel is fixed and in which the sleeve is rotatable and is provided with the helical groove on its inner face and performs a rolling movement aboutsaid mandrel..

. ARNOLD Dorm. 

